I am fairly new to Lacnet, and am currently an intern scheduled to take the exam in 2012.  I am so grateful to see all the comments and concerns about the new IBCLC requirements.  My background is as a Child & Family Therapist for many years, followed by over 20 years working in an outpatient clinic at a local hospital as a social worker with low income pregnant and parenting women.  For those of you familiar, it was a Maternity Support Services and WIC Clinic.  The last two years at the clinic I was trained to do WIC, as the funding for MSS was dropping and the WIC need was rising.  For WIC, I received some breastfeeding training, and found my new passion.  I'm 62 and have worked with Habitat for Humanity in other countries.  In thinking about my retirement, and finding a passion for helping moms with breastfeeding, I began a mentoring program with the hope that I would be working with low income breastfeeding mothers here and particularly abroad in developing countries.

Although I had worked for this particular hospital for over 20 years, they would not let me do an internship there because I am not a nurse.  The same held true for all the other local hospitals I contacted.  And it's probably for the best, as I would never be working in a hospital.  I am on Pathway 3, and could not use any of my hours with the MSS/WIC clinic.  My mentor is wonderful.  She has been in private practice for 15 years and is not a nurse.  Her background is as a special ed teacher.  I'm finding it very difficult to get all my hours with an IBCLC in private practice.  I, too, have no idea why I would need classes like "medical terminology" since I will never work in a hospital.  Sometimes I feel hopeless to be able to obtain my IBCLC.  Right now I just keep putting one foot in front of the other hoping it all works out.  I don't know what else to do since this seems to be the right path for me in my life.

I have talked to IBLCE and written a letter, all to no avail.  I really want to encourage everyone with concerns, whether or not you are an IBCLC or an intern, a nurse or a social worker, to write to IBLCE with your concerns.  The more letters they get from a diverse group of folks with concerns, the more likely they are to review their requirement.  They need to hear from lots of us for it to have an impact.  Again, I am so grateful to connect with other IBCLC's and interns.  Thanks for all your postings.
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